Chapter 3

“Cass, your turn to hide!” Grace said, rolling out from underneath a shrub.

Cassidy ran off, looking around the yard. No, she wasn’t going to hide in the shed, but she could hide *near* the shed if she wanted to. She opened the door and then squished herself underneath the ramp that went from the ground to the shed door.

Grace finished counting and looked around. It was always pretty easy to spot her sister’s red hair. She started looking around the shed and froze. No, she couldn’t go in there. Daddy might hurt her again. Grace took off back to the house and threw her arms around Emily’s midsection.

Cassidy giggled a little bit and climbed out from under the ramp. Grace hadn’t found her that time…

“What is it?” Emily asked.

“I don’t want to go in there! I don’t want to play in the shed!” came Grace’s muffled reply.

“Is your sister out there again?!?” Emily snapped. “It’s alright, I’ll get her out.” She pried her daughter off her and threw the side door open. “Cassidy!”

Cassidy whimpered. She knew what *that* meant… Unthinkingly, she took the few steps into the shed and cowered in the back corner beneath a shelf.

Emily stormed out to the shed and threw the door open. “Cassidy Evangeline Kincaide! Get your ass out of this shed right now!” She snapped on the light and looked around.

Cassidy darted from her hiding place and tried to run past her mother and out the door.

Emily grabbed her by the arm and half carried, half dragged her into the house. “Like playing in places we don’t belong, do we?” She snapped. Emily opened the basement door and threw her daughter down the stairs, closing and locking the door behind her. “Grace, go do your homework.” She ordered without even giving the younger daughter a glance.

Grace ran up to her room and hid under her bed. She had gotten Cassidy in trouble. She didn’t mean to, but it was that shed. She was scared that if her father caught her, he’d hurt her worse than before. Mommy had already said that he better damn well not…but since when does Daddy listen to Mommy?

Emily waited until the footsteps on the stairs were gone and unlocked the door, going down into the basement. “Cassidy, get your ass over here. NOW.”

Cassidy approached timidly.

Emily slapped her daughter across the face. “What have I told you about playing in the shed, you little bitch?”

“But… but… Mommy, I wasn’t, I only went in there when you came out ‘cause I was scared…”

“Don’t lie to me. Do I look as stupid as your father?” She knocked Cassidy to the ground.

“But… but I’m not…”

Emily kicked Cassidy so hard she flew halfway across the basement and crumpled into a ball. “Is this fun for you?”

“N-no Mommy…” Cassidy tried not to cry. Mommy wouldn’t like that…

“Are you crying?!?” Emily demanded, picking her up by the arm.

“No…”

Emily continued beating the little girl until she heard the screeching of tires. “Since you enjoy playing in places you don’t belong, why don’t you play down here?” Emily threw her daughter into a tiny crawl space under the stairs and pushed an old file cabinet in front of the hole. “Don’t worry, Mommy won’t be gone too long.” Emily said, flicking off the lights and going upstairs.

The hole under the stairs was nowhere near big enough for a seven year old. Cassidy couldn’t move around at all or even sit up. Something small and furry scrambled over her, but she was too tired to scream. And she couldn’t cry, just in case Mommy was watching.

Grace crawled out from under her bed and listened. The car door slammed and she jumped. She couldn’t be sure whether or not she’d see Cassidy again tonight… sometimes Mommy took her away for the night or two if Mommy thought she deserved it. Grace shivered. She hated it when Mommy took Cassidy away.

David entered the room, not too drunk this time. “Where’re the kids?”

Emily shrugged, not bothering to reply.

“I asked a question, bitch.”

“Good for you. Not too drunk to form a coherent string of words, I see.”

“Only home for a minute. Wanted to say g’night.”

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“Out. You don’t give a flying fuck where, so you just oughta be grateful.”

“I’m sure I can find ways to amuse myself while you’re gone. Oh, and while you’re out, do me a favor and forget where we live.”

He simply laughed. “I’m sure Lola will help me out if I do. Night.” He left the house.

Emily waited a few minutes before going into the master bedroom and returning with one of David’s leather belts. She went downstairs and moved the filing cabinet, not even bothering to turn on the lights. “Cassidy, come out here.”

Cassidy blinked. Was Mommy not mad at her anymore? Hastily, she scrambled out. “Yes Mommy?”

Emily cracked her over the head with the belt buckle.

Cassidy turned and tried to run. She could hide down here, it was dark and there was dust in her hair. Maybe she could get away until Daddy got home…

Emily grabbed Cassidy by the shoulder, her fingernails digging into the skin and whipped her with the belt. “Don’t even think about running, you little bitch.”

“I won’t…”

Emily whipped her a few more times before throwing her back into the hole and going upstairs. She returned a few minutes later with a pitcher of water and a towel. “Sleep tight.” Emily shoved them through the hole and pushed the filing cabinet back. She left the basement, locking the door behind her. Cassidy was David’s child, let him defend her.

~*~*~

“Where the hell has my daughter been for the past two days?” David demanded of his wife. He was sober this time, and he’d realized he hadn’t seen Cassidy for two mornings.

“She’s not here. I’m surprised you even noticed, with your friend Lola giving you blow jobs every night and all.”

David charged up the stairs to the room where Grace was getting ready for school. “Where’s your sister?”

Grace backed up against the far wall. “I….I don’t know….”

David left the room and went back downstairs, grabbing Emily and slamming her against the wall. “What the fuck did you do to her?” He demanded.

“Whipped her.” Emily replied, smiling sweetly. “You kill me and you’ll only find your daughter when you can smell her.”

David was many things, but stupid was not among them. She could only have hidden Cassidy from the other little bitch in a few places. He flicked on the cellar light and went down the stairs. “Cassidy?”

A slight whimper from underneath the stairs was all he heard.

He flicked on the light and looked around. Something wasn’t right. He noticed the belt on the floor and picked it up, throwing it against the file cabinet next to the stairs…only there wasn’t supposed to be any file cabinet next to the stairs. He moved the cabinet and looked in the crawl space. “Cassidy?”

A dirty, bloodied, red-haired child of about seven looked back at him with frightened green eyes. “Daddy?” She whispered.

He pulled her out from under the stairs and carried her up to her room, setting her down on the bed. “You…get out.” He said, stepping towards Grace, who ran out of the room, practically tripping down the stairs.

“Daddy, it hurts…” Cassidy couldn’t prevent the single tear from gliding down her cheek.

“Yeah.” David replied. He went into the bathroom and wet a washcloth and found the bottle of aloe. He handed it to her. “Put this on, it will help.” David instructed before charging back down the stairs.

“Find her alright?” Emily asked.

He said nothing, simply struck her as hard as he could manage. “You leave her the hell alone.”

“What’s the matter, Davey? Don’t like it when your daughter’s in pain?”

“I’ll put *you* in pain, if you keep it up,” he warned.

“Oooh, tough words.” Emily replied sardonically. “She crying?”

“No.”

“Good, I’ll kick her some more if she is.”

“I’ll kill yours if you do.”

Emily punched him in the nose. “Don’t touch Grace again.”

“Then keep your hands off Cassidy.”

“I don’t think lying is a good thing for our marriage.”

“Who’s lying, bitch?”

“I’m going to work.” Emily announced. “Are you going as well, or will you be going to the local whore house?”

“How about neither, for once.” He walked away, going upstairs.

Emily walked out of the house, leaving the front door wide open, and drove away.

David closed the door and went up to the girls’ room. “Cassidy…did you get the aloe on?”

The child nodded, looking particularly tiny curled up in the center of the bed.

“Do you want me to get you a sandwich or something?”

“Will you?” She looked at him, as if such an act of kindness were entirely new to her. Probably because it was.

David looked at her and nodded. How could that bitch do this to his daughter? He’d make her pay. He’d make her pay by doing the same to her and that bastard’s daughter. “What kind do you want?” He asked, in a tone that was almost fatherly.

“Can I have peanut butter?”

“Sure. Want any more food? You must be hungry.”

“Can I have whatever I want?” She looked disbelieving.

He nodded. “Decide quickly.”

“Can I have a cookie?” There was an almost-smile on her face. “And milk?”

David nodded. He went down to the kitchen and returned ten minutes later with the sandwich, a glass of milk and the whole package of cookies. “Here, kid.”

“Thank you, Daddy.” Mommy didn’t even let her have crackers, and Daddy brought her the whole box of cookies!

There was a moment where David seemed to hesitate. He reached down and patted Cassidy on the head.

She smiled, seeming pleased at the attention.

“Make sure you finish the cookies before your mother gets back.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Daddy,” she said again.

“Yeah….I’ll…I’ll be back later to check on you.” David said, going down to his study.

Cassidy turned to the cookies with a grin.

~*~*~

Next Chapter